Trailers

STEVE: What I look for when I purchase a trailer is I want to get a
piece of equipment that has a reliable reputation, number one. I
go over it, to make sure it’s safe inside, that it can transport
the horses without any difficulties; it has good corners,
ceilings, flooring, that are very, very sturdy. You don’t have
to worry about the closure of the panels when you put horses in
it. That it basically has good protective inner-lining so they
don’t rub their hocks, so they don’t bank their knees, that they
don’t have a chance to injure themselves. Everything has smooth
covering on it, it’s good-padded, and it’s a reliable piece of
equipment that I’m going to be able to transport them in, that
essentially has enough room inside, ventilation, and protective
covering for them to be housed in it throughout a long haul,
maybe up to 6, 10, 12, 15 hours, depending on how far away we
have to go.

ALEX: That’s probably…somebody that has a horse; they have to
figure out what they’re going to be doing. If they’re traveling
long-distance, then they might get something larger than just a
2-horse trailer; something like yours, which is a 4-horse. There
are some that come with living quarters. There are some that
don’t. It really depends on, one; where are you going to be with
your horse or where do you want to travel to do compete, or to
do whatever? That’s going to help to make a decision on what
type or how big a horse trailer you need to have.

STEVE: The style trailers that are available can vary from a
single-horse trailer to a 2-horse trailer, where the horses are
long-ways, side-by-side, heading…their nose toward a
direction that they’re traveling. There are slant-load trailers
that you can put 2 horses in, that is a little bit more
convenient and it gives the horses a little bit more legroom
because it has a little bit more angle.

The big slant-load aluminum trailers now, like I have, are
probably designed to last 100 years. These things are
practically indestructible. As long as you maintain them and
keep good tires on them, there’s really nothing that will rust
in them, there’s nothing that’ll deteriorate. Pretty much, you
better like it because you’re going to be stuck with it for a
while. I like what I have. It depends on what your use is going
to be. The big commercial trailers probably last 15 or 20 years,
and they probably have to do service and maintain them.

ALEX: Yeah. A lot of people would start maybe with a 2-horse rear-
load trailer, but then they move up to something bigger that
will carry more horses or have living quarters. A lot of times,
you go to a show and you stay the weekend, and it’s nice to have
your living quarters within your trailer. If you don’t have your
own trailer, then there’s people that can do it for you and do
it very economically.

There’s a lot of reputable commercial horse transportation
companies across the country that do local service, particularly
here in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, where we are now.
Also, you might have a situation where you need to get a horse
from Kentucky to California, so you need a long-haul. There are
some big reputable companies that do that, as well.

STEVE: Really, it depends on what your budget is, how far you’re going
to be hauling, and what your use of the trailer is for. You
really have to take into consideration all these things: Budget,
caliber, quality of the horse, amount of protection you’re
wanting, and how far you’re going to be hauling.